Infectious Diseases News and Research

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Prisoners need education on the appropriate use of topical antibiotic products

Prisoners need education on the appropriate use of topical antibiotic products, according to a study released today at the 39th Annual Educational Conference and International Meeting of the Association for Professionals in Infection Control and Epidemiology.

4 Jun 2012

Engineered proteins demonstrate flu-fighting potency

Computer-designed proteins are under construction to fight the flu. Researchers are demonstrating that proteins found in nature, but that do not normally bind the flu, can be engineered to act as broad-spectrum antiviral agents against a variety of flu virus strains, including H1N1 pandemic influenza.

2 Jun 2012

Chagas disease could pose threat similar to other global pandemics, experts warn

"Researchers are warning that the little-known Chagas disease could pose a threat similar to other global pandemics," Fox News reports, noting Chagas disease "is a parasitic illness that is most commonly transmitted by the so-called 'kissing bugs,' a subfamily of blood-sucking insects, through the parasite called Trypanosoma cruzi" (5/31).

2 Jun 2012

Illumina launches Nextera XT DNA Sample Preparation Kits

Illumina today introduced the Nextera XT DNA Sample Preparation Kit, the easiest way for researchers to prepare and sequence small genomes, PCR amplicons, and plasmids.

From Illumina, Inc. 1 Jun 2012

Life Technologies, OpGen enter collaboration on Whole Genome Mapping and Ion Torrent sequencing

Life Technologies Corporation and OpGen, Inc., a commercial stage whole genome analysis company, today announced that they have signed a collaboration agreement to develop systems, technologies and applications intended to improve the management and surveillance of microbial outbreaks in the public health and infectious disease markets.

31 May 2012

Aeras, IDRI partner to develop novel TB vaccine

In a guest post on the Global Health Technologies Coalition's "Breakthroughs" blog, Jamie Elizabeth Rosen, media and communications manager at Aeras, interviews Steven Reed, founder, president, and chief scientific officer of the Infectious Disease Research Institute (IDRI), "a 120-person non-profit biotech committed to applying innovative science to the research and development of products to prevent, detect, and treat infectious diseases of poverty."

31 May 2012

No evidence of chronic low-grade inflammation linked with diseases of aging

American parents may want to think again about how much they want to protect their children from everyday germs. A new Northwestern University study done in lowland Ecuador remarkably finds no evidence of chronic low-grade inflammation -- associated with diseases of aging like cardiovascular disease, diabetes and dementia.

31 May 2012

Death prediction for patients with pneumonia and raised glucose levels

Raised blood sugar (glucose) levels on admission to hospital can predict deaths in patients with community acquired pneumonia but without pre-existing diabetes, finds a study published on bmj.com today.

30 May 2012

Researchers discover new HIV-suppressing protein

Scientists have identified a new HIV-suppressing protein in the blood of people infected with the virus. In laboratory studies, the protein, called CXCL4 or PF-4, binds to HIV such that it cannot attach to or enter a human cell.

30 May 2012

EPO issues patent to Cytune’s CYP0150 for treatment of cancer

Cytune Pharma, an emerging leader in innovative immunomodulatory agents against cancer and infectious diseases, announced today that it will attend the BIO2012 to present its major achievements over the last 12 months and to foster partnering discussions.

30 May 2012

Pre-exposure preventive treatment may be effective against suspected HIV

While immediate postexposure treatment for suspected HIV is critical, pre-exposure preventive treatment is a newer method that may be effective for people in high-risk groups, states a review of evidence published in CMAJ (Canadian Medical Association Journal).

29 May 2012

Enrollment complete in Advaxis’ ADXS-HPV Phase 2 trial for cervical cancer

Advaxis, Inc., a leader in developing the next generation of immunotherapies for cancer and infectious diseases, announced today that it has completed enrollment in Lm-LLO-E7-15, the 110 patient, randomized Phase 2 trial of ADXS-HPV in women with recurrent/refractory cervical cancer who have failed cytotoxic therapy.

29 May 2012

Single test developed that detects all known strains of H5N1

The close collaboration between scientists from the Experimental Therapeutics Centre (ETC) under the Agency for Science and Technology Research (A*STAR) and clinicians from Tan Tock Seng Hospital (TTSH) has enabled the successful development of the most comprehensive and rapid H5N1 bird flu test kit available to date.

29 May 2012

Controlling TB in geographic hotspots could reduce citywide transmission

Reducing tuberculosis transmission in geographic "hotspots" where infections are highest could significantly reduce TB transmission on a broader scale, according to a study led by researchers at the Johns Hopkins Bloomberg School of Public Health. An analysis of data from Rio de Janeiro showed that a reduction in TB infections within three high-transmission hotspots could reduce citywide transmission by 9.8 percent over 5 years, and as much as 29 percent over 50 years. The study was published May 28 by the journal PNAS.

29 May 2012

Medivir initiates MIV-711 phase I trial in bone disorders

Medivir AB, a research-based pharmaceutical company focused on infectious diseases, announced today that a phase I clinical trial has been initiated with its investigational drug, MIV-711, a cathepsin K inhibitor for the treatment of bone disorders characterized by excessive bone resorption such as osteoporosis, osteoarthritis and bone metastases.

28 May 2012

University of Kentucky researcher receives $1.8M NIH grant to study CF

David Feola, a University of Kentucky College of Pharmacy faculty member in the Department of Pharmacy Practice and Science, received a five-year, $1.8 million grant from the National Institutes of Health (NIH) to continue his research investigating immune responses in the lungs that will potentially lead to the discovery of medical treatments for patients with cystic fibrosis and other chronic pulmonary inflammatory conditions.

25 May 2012

Insmed initiates patient screening for ARIKACE phase 2 NTM lung disease trial

Insmed Incorporated, a biopharmaceutical company, today announced that it has begun screening patients for its U.S. phase 2 clinical trial, Treatment with ARIKACE to Realize Greater Efficacy Trial (TARGET-NTM), of ARIKACE (liposomal amikacin for inhalation) in patients with non-tuberculous mycobacterial (NTM) lung disease.

24 May 2012

Many women not screened for gonorrhea and chlamydia infection during pregnancy

Many women are not screened for chlamydia and gonorrhea infection during their pregnancy, and follow-up testing is not always performed as medically recommended for those who test positive for chlamydia, according to a study published online in the American Journal of Obstetrics and Gynecology.

From Quest Diagnostics 24 May 2012

Proper care of diabetic foot infections can save limbs, lives

Diabetic foot infections are an increasingly common problem, but proper care can save limbs and, ultimately, lives, suggest new guidelines released by the Infectious Diseases Society of America.

23 May 2012

Scientists trace origin and development of vancomycin-resistant S. aureus

National Institutes of Health-funded scientists have determined the genome sequences of a dozen strains of Staphylococcus aureus bacteria known to be resistant to vancomycin, an antibiotic of last resort. The researchers demonstrated -that resistance arose independently in each strain, and identified shared features among the strains that may have helped them acquire vancomycin resistance and evade human immune defenses.

23 May 2012